Week 9 – EU LCS Spring Split 2017

The days are getting longer, the clothes are getting shorter and shorter and the LCS Seasons are getting more exciting than ever – while the upcoming Week 9 of the Western LCS Spring Split 2017 already marks the end of the regular season for North America the European challengers will celebrate the end of the season with 8 outstanding matches not until next week. The best teams of each league will participate in the Spring Split playoffs 2017 to fight for the pride of the region and a shot at the 2017 Mid-Season Invitational tournament in Brazil. The underdogs of Europe will have to defend their spot for the upcoming LCS Summer Split 2017 in the Summer Promotion tournament 2017 against the best Challenger Series teams. Thereby a lot of interests will be at stake, besides the great career opportunities for all of the newcomers the teams and organisations already have an eye on the big money circulating in the LCS. While G2 Esports secured themselves a ticket for the semi-finals of the Spring Split playoffs the Unicorns of Love are also well on their way to catch up with their opponents from Group A. Origen and Giants Gaming on the other hand will find themselves in the Summer Promotion tournament to fight for their Summer Split ticket. Week 9 of the EU LCS Spring Split guarantees excitement and great games so don’t miss to turn in on March 23th.

Betting Odds Comparison*

As every week our renowned eSports bookmakers already provide betting odds for the upcoming Week 9 of the EU Spring Split. You will find a comparison of the most important odds right here as usual. This week there are no suprises, almost every game has a clear favorite. Please keep in mind that these betting odds are always subject to change. You can always find the latest information on the websites of our eSports betting providers.

Preview and Predictions – EU LCS Week 9 :

EU LCS Spring Split Week 9 – Day 3:

Match #1: H2K Gaming vs. Team Vitality

March 25th, 08:00 AM PDT/ 11:00 AM EDT/ 16:00 CET

Team Vitality would appear to be making steady improvements, but they’ve only been putting on strong performances against teams that are at the bottom of the groups. H2k look like they’ve been having a bit of a harder time but their recent opponents have been the best in the region, it was surely going to be a challenge and they even managed to do some damage. Can VIT hold their own against a top team? Tune into the series on Saturday, March 25th, to find out!

Team Vitality – VIT have been having, what would appear to be, stronger performances recently and it’s really helped them maintain their position in their group. It’s not exactly a good position to be in but they’ve been able to create a space between themselves and the bottom of the ladder, that’s a positive.

H2k – It would appear they’ve been having a bit of a harder time, during week 8 they quickly fell to Unicorns of Love and were unable to put up much of a fight but just 1 week earlier they took a crushing victory over Misfits. Will the inconsistency continue, or can they push forward and hold a position above Splyce?

H2k definitely appear to be at an advantage here, they’re holding onto a significantly stronger series score along with an individual game score that is leaps ahead of VIT’s. Team Vitality are sitting with only 8 individual game victories with 3 series victories, H2k have more than double this! H2k have shown more strength and potential, they’ve had more precise and deadly performances. Team Vitality is going to need to need to take care during the earlier stages of the game, extending vision and playing with a very strategic mind-set. This could give them the information needed to play around their opponents and find or create huge opportunities, possibly swaying the momentum in the game.

Prediction: H2k Victory. H2k have had stronger overall performances, even in more recent weeks when things have looked rough for them. I think even if H2k are underperforming slightly they’ll find ways to come out on top of Team Vitality.

Match #2: Fnatic vs. Giants Gaming

March 25th, 11:00 AM PDT/ 02:00 PM EDT/ 19:00 CET

Fnatic have been having trouble in recent weeks, they’ve been able to fight their way into contesting a series but have often been unable to take them. They’re consistently climbing through a series but being unable to take one must be chipping away at their morale. Well, Giants are coming now and even though they’ve recently taken a series they could run into trouble here! Who will come out on top? Tune in the series when it goes live on Saturday, March 25th, to find out!

Fnatic – FNC have been having a harder time recently, falling to Roccat in week 8 meant their position in their group was under pressure. That position was then lost and the morale of FNC definitely took a hit, they’ve got a chance to pull things back for the end of the split but will they manage to pull it off?

Giants – They’re in a tough position, bottom of their group and there’s a lot on the line for them with this series. If they can take the series then they’ll open up the opportunity to scrape a few wins and close the ladder gap to Fnatic, opening up more possibilities. But if they lose they’ll be glued in that bottom position.

Fnatic would appear to be at an advantage here, even with shaky and inconsistent performances they’ve managed to keep a steady position in their group. They’ve had stronger overall performances over the course of the split and even when things have looked rough they’ve performed on a higher average level in comparison to Giants. GIA will need to try to pressure during the earlier stages of the game, shaking up the map strategies of Fnatic could give them opportunities for sporadic and quick engagements that could quite easily propel them ahead. They’ll need to invest quite heavily in aggressive early vision, using their jungler to cover large portions of the map and possible early rotations! This could catch Fnatic out and give GIA some great advantages.

Prediction: Fnatic Victory. Even if Giants manage to get an early lead I think Fnatic will use their strong middle and late game team fighting, along with stalling strategies, to extend the games until they’re in a more equal or advantageous position. Because of this I think they’ll come out on top of the series, running into only a few issues.

EU LCS Spring Split Week 9 – Day 2:

Match #1: ROCCAT vs. Misfits

March 24t, 09:00 AM PDT/ 12:00 PM EDT/ 17:00 CET

Roccat have made steps forward in the most recent weeks, they’ve managed to pull ahead of many opponents and have taken all of their 4 series victories since week 7. These steps forward could play a huge part in their series against Misfits, but MSF are sitting bounds ahead. Can Roccat push ahead of Fnatic on the ladder here? Tune into the series when it goes live on Friday, March 23th, to find out!

Roccat – They’ve definitely had a rough split, for many weeks they were able to show little strength but as the EU LCS progressed so did ROC. In the most recent weeks their performances have been significantly stronger and because of this they’re a possible contender for 3rd place in their group, with how close we are to the end of the split this could be a phenomenal push forward.

Misfits – In recent weeks MSF have actually had a few issues, their performances have been a bit weaker and a bit less consistent. Because of this they’ve been unable to take a series victory since week 6! But they were being placed against the top teams in the region, now they’re facing lower placed teams they could push ahead once again.

Misfits appear to be at an advantage here; even though ROC have had much stronger performances recently and MSF have been underperforming recently, MSF have a stronger match history and their weaker performances were against the top teams in the region. Their losses are more understandable due to their position on the ladder, but going against a lower placed team will let us see their strength once again. Roccat will need to use their new found potential and skill to try and pressure Misfits during earlier stages of the game, trying to create room to grow their vision; this will then open up opportunities for them to play with the map to gain more advantages.

Prediction: Misfits Victory. Roccat have definitely been stronger recently and I think they’ll surprise us during this series with this new strength, but Misfits are fairly consistent and as one of the stronger performing teams in the entirety of the region I think they’ll pull out on top of the series.

Match #2: Origen vs. Unicorns of Love

March 24th, 12:00 PM PDT/ 03:00 PM EDT/ 20:00 CET

Origen are pretty much counted out at this point, but underestimating them could still change the standings on the ladder and they’ll be looking to impact it and make a statement before they go down. Unicorns of Love sit high and mighty at the top of Group B but just a small slip-up and they could decline through their group fairly quickly. Can UoL build a safer position? Find out when the games go live on Friday, March 24th!

Origen – OG are down but they’re definitely not out, they can still impact the ladder and if they can put on just a few strong performances they’ll be able to shake things up. It’s too late in the split for them to make a final push forward now but other teams should still be cautious of OG.

Unicorns of Love – UoL are sitting at the top of their group but they’re only ahead by a singular series victory and a single individual game victory. Their position on the ladder has next to no safety at all and could easily be contested if the Unicorns of Love happen to make just a few mistakes.

Unicorns of Love are very clearly at an advantage here; they’ve taken the position at the top of their group and are sitting leaps ahead of Origen. Unicorns of Love are in a completely contrasted position; they’re sitting with an 8:2 series score in comparison to the 0:11 of Origen. Origen haven’t been able to make much impact at all this split but just making Unicorns of Love drop an individual game can still impact the ladder in the coming weeks; the added pressure on Unicorns of Love could cause them to make more mistakes and Origen are going to need to be quick to capitalize on them, possibly giving them a sizable lead.

Prediction: Unicorns of Love Victory. Unicorns of Love are on the opposite end of the performance spectrum in comparison to Origen. UoL have managed to not only take victories, but they have often taken commanding or clean series victories. They’ve claimed the top position in their group and with just a small push until the end of the split I couldn’t imagine them making huge mistakes now.

EU LCS Spring Split Week 9 – Day 1:

Match #1: Splyce vs. Team Vitality

March 23th, 09:00 AM PDT/ 12:00 PM EDT/ 17:00 CET

We’re reaching our final destination, with the final weeks closing in the teams are grasping at straws as to what they’re going to do and what they need to do. First off for week 9 of the EU LCS we’ll be watching Team Vitality try and claw a series away from Splyce! Who will come out on top? Tune into the games when they go live on Thursday, March 23rd, to find out!

Team Vitality – Still running into many issues, Team Vitality are sitting by the bottom of the EU LCS B Group. They’ve managed to take hold of a few series victories but there’s quite a difference between them and the other more successful performing teams. They’ll need to step it up in these last 2 weeks if they’re looking to make a final impact.

Splyce – SPY are quite comfortably in 3rd place of Group B in the EU LCS. They’re a good few series victories ahead of the 4th place team in their group, which just so happens to be their opponents here, so they’ve shown definite improvement over the weeks; will it keep them ahead?

Splyce appear to be at quite an advantage here, they may have recently dropped a series against G2 Esports but they’ve shown that they have the potential to contest a series against the top performing teams in the region. They’ve shown more recent improvements to their consistency and their overall performances are appearing better because of it! Team Vitality are in a more difficult situation though, they’ve taken a clean series recently but it was against a team that’s been unable to take a series victory so far this season, it wasn’t really a test of their skill. VIT will definitely be tested here and if they manage to step up it’d be a great statement to make at the start of this final push.

Prediction: Splyce Victory. With Splyce sitting comfortably ahead on the ladder, with a good few series victories ahead of VIT, I think they’ll take this series with some degree of comfort. They’ve had better individual game performances and have definitely shown more improvement in recent weeks, I think this is what will push them ahead during the series.

Match #2: G2 Esports vs. Giants Gaming

March 23th, 12:00 PM PDT/ 03:00 PM EDT/ 20:00 CET

G2 Esports are heading into Week 9 of the EU LCS whilst remaining to be an undefeated team, they’ve had a phenomenal split and hold onto an extremely formidable individual game and series score. Giants have definitely shown a few improvements but will it be enough to contest or take a series against such a powerhouse team? Tune into the series when it goes live on Thursday, March 23rd, to find out!

G2 Esports – Sitting at the top of the ladder is a challenge on its own, taking and holding the position is a testament to their skill. Doing so with an undefeated series score just goes to show that G2 Esports are performing ahead of the majority of the region, their individual game score reflects this. Can anyone take them down? It doesn’t look like it, not as we head into these final weeks.

Giants – GIA’s consistency is still holding them back, they’ve been performing better in more recent weeks but it’s not been enough to come out on top of many series’, even ones that they’ve been able to contest. If they can improve this consistency they’d be more likely to take a series away but as we’re reaching the final stretch GIA have some tough opponents and it might be too late.

G2 Esports are definitely at an advantage here, as they would be against just about any opponent in the region at the moment. They’re sitting with a phenomenal 10:0 series score and their individual game score sits at a formidable 20:5. With only 5 losses, most of which were to other top performing teams in the region, it brings into question just how well Giants are going to perform during this series. Giants have shown us previously, even when only taking individual game victories, that they’re able to perform, surprise us and they can put on a good show. Will it be enough to take down such a formidable team though? We’ll have to wait and see!

Prediction: G2 Esports Victory. As they’re sitting significantly ahead on the ladder, hold stronger individual game and series performances, I think they’re in such a strong position here that they’ll take the series with great comfort. They’re at the top of the ladder for a reason and I think this series will be them showing why.

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